After Wei Mazi left the restaurant, he still couldn't breathe.
However, if he was asked to go to the palace to cause trouble, he, Mr. Wei, did not have the courage.
He and several colleagues were drunk and walking aimlessly on the street.
When passing the dock, a general suddenly said: "Brother Wei, how about we rent a boat and have a couple of drinks on the boat?"
Wei Mazi's eyes lit up. If he was drinking on the boat, he would say whatever he wanted without fear of being overheard. He immediately clapped his hands and agreed.
Several people went their separate ways, some went to buy wine, some went to buy meat, and some went to rent a boat.
After a while, everything was ready, and several people rented a small boat and drank on the boat.
Everyone drank heavily, sometimes accusing His Majesty and the Queen of being unfair, and sometimes yelling at Fu Youde. Liu Bowen and Ma Yulin were awarded titles based on flattery.
When I was cursing happily, I suddenly heard a thud, the boat sank, and a voice came in from outside the cabin.
"Get out of here!"
When Wei Mazi heard this voice, he felt a cold air rushing from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and then from the top of his head back to the soles of his feet. His hairs stood up, and his face was as pale as paper.
He looked at each other and several colleagues, took a deep breath, and finally walked out slowly.
Under the night, I saw a woman wearing a white cloak, standing on the bow of the boat. I saw her beautiful appearance and outstanding temperament, just like the Goddess of Luo in the water.
However, in the eyes of Wei Mazi and others, seeing her is more terrifying than meeting the female Yaksha!
"At the end of the day, I will go to the Queen, please, please spare my life!" Several people were kneeling on the ground, kowtowing.
Qin Lingjun's face was filled with frost, and she said coldly: "Everyone jump into the water."
Wei Mazi and others did not dare to disobey in the slightest, so they all jumped into the river with a few "plops". The river was rushing, and several people splashed hard against the water, looking extremely embarrassed.
Qin Lingjun looked at the few people and said coldly: "No one is allowed to go ashore before midnight tomorrow. If I hear you complaining about the ennoblement again in the future, don't blame me for not cherishing old friendship!"
After finishing speaking, he boarded another boat along the wooden plank and returned to the shore, but did not leave, staring at the south of the canal.
Only then did Wei Mazi and others realize that she might be waiting for someone. They happened to see a few people renting a boat and followed her. They couldn't help but secretly cursed their bad luck.
The bright moon hangs high and the stars twinkle.
Ma Yulin strode down the street, looking up at the bright moon in the sky, feeling suddenly melancholy.
He didn't take Liang Rong and Sun Hu's words to heart.
After staying in the officialdom of Jiangdu Prefecture for so long, if you can't stand even this little gossip, you might as well go back to your hometown and sit in court.
The reason why he felt melancholy was because he thought of his sister-in-law from his hometown again.
It would be great if she was also in Jiangdu Mansion now, celebrating today's happy event with him.
Ma Yulin's parents died when he was young, and he was raised by his brother and sister-in-law. When he was fourteen years old, his brother died of illness, and he and his sister-in-law depended on each other.
Because of this, he is full of attachment to his sister-in-law. He studied hard since he was a child, just to let his sister-in-law live a better life.
However, as he got older, his sister-in-law became more and more indifferent to him.
At first, he didn't understand the reason. Later, he heard two neighbor's aunts chatting and realized that the gossip between him and his sister-in-law had been spread outside.
Originally, according to the rules set by the Mongols, after the elder brother died, the younger brother could marry his sister-in-law, which was called stepmarriage.
However, the Mongols ruled brutally at that time, and the Han people were disgusted with the Mongols and were very resistant to Mongolian customs.
Therefore, in the eyes of neighbors, Ma Yulin still lived with his widowed sister-in-law as an adult, which was an act of disregarding propriety, justice and shame.
Ma Yulin went over to argue with them at that time, saying that he and his sister-in-law had not done anything inappropriate.
However, this kind of thing became darker and darker. In the end, in order to avoid suspicion, my sister-in-law left home with her son and daughter and rented a house outside.
Ma Yulin had no choice but to leave his hometown and let his sister-in-law live in the house.
Coinciding with the Red Turban Uprising, Ma Yulin was snatched away by Zhang Mingjian to become a military advisor, and later served for Jiangdu Prefecture.
For several years, although he has been sending money to his hometown, he has never gone back to take a look.
As scenes from the past emerged, Ma Yulin let out a long sigh and unknowingly returned to the door.
Ma Yulin sent most of his salary back to his hometown. He lived a very simple life and did not even hire a servant.
The courtyard is overgrown with weeds, the corners of the lobby are filled with dust and cobwebs, and the tables are piled with debris, making it a mess.
Who would have thought that the home of a dignified Dali temple official would be so slovenly.
Ma Yulin didn't care about this. Anyway, he spent most of his time in Dali Temple and came back every day just to wash and sleep.
He has fewer friends than Liu Bowen. Except for Luo Guanzhong who occasionally comes to visit, other colleagues have never been to his home.
Ma Yulin placed the gold book and badge on the table, sat down on the chair, closed his eyes and rested.
At this moment, there was a knock on the door.
Ma Yulin was slightly stunned and thought to himself: "Could it be Brother Luo again?" He stood up and went to open the door. When he saw the people outside the house, he was stunned for an instant.
I saw a shabbily dressed woman standing outside the door with two children and a big baggage on her back.
There are two children, a boy and a girl, both just over ten years old. Each of them is carrying a big burden that does not match their stature.
The woman was about forty years old, with a swarthy complexion. She looked like an ordinary peasant woman, with her head lowered and looking very embarrassed.
At this moment, a voice came from behind.
"Sister Yinglian, what are you doing at the door? Come in quickly! Masiqing, why are you so stunned? Why don't you invite your sister-in-law in quickly?"
Only then did Ma Yulin wake up. When he looked behind him, he found that the person speaking was actually Qin Lingjun. She was also carrying a big baggage on her back and stood up straight, effortlessly.
"Emperor..."
Qin Lingjun interrupted: "Take your sister-in-law in quickly and we'll talk about it later!"
Ma Yulin hurriedly agreed and grabbed his sister-in-law's luggage. It felt heavy and staggering, and he could hardly carry it.
When the little niece saw it, she covered her mouth with her hands and smiled secretly.
Sister-in-law Ma Yulin hurriedly grabbed it back and said, "I, I'll just come." She went in with her luggage.
After several people entered the house, Qin Lingjun smiled and said: "Sister Yinglian, I'm not lying to you. Look at what kind of life he lives. Can he take care of himself?"
Ma Yulin's sister-in-law's name was Deng Yinglian. She glanced left and right and saw the overgrown weeds in the courtyard. She nodded silently but said nothing.
When everyone walked through the courtyard and came to the hall, they all smelled a musty smell.
The nephew was surprised and said: "Second uncle, why does your house look like a doghouse?"
Deng Yinglian hurriedly reprimanded: "Don't talk nonsense!"
Ma Yulin was very happy and touched his nephew's head.
"Haha, my second uncle has never had time to clean it up. I will definitely clean it up tomorrow to make sure it looks brand new so that you can live comfortably!"
The two children cheered together.
Qin Lingjun put the salute on the ground and clapped her hands.
"You guys can speak for yourselves, I'm going back first."
Deng Yinglian was very attached to her and hurried over to hold her hand.
"Sister, you, don't leave yet."
Ma Yulin was secretly surprised and didn't understand why his sister-in-law knew the queen.
Qin Lingjun smiled slightly and said: "You have to explain this matter clearly. If you need my help, just tell me!"
After finishing speaking, he left the mansion and rode away.
Ma Yulin and Deng Yinglian walked her to the door and watched her disappear on the street.
"Sister-in-law, how did you meet the Queen?" Ma Yulin asked.
Deng Yinglian was taken aback and said in a trembling voice: "You, you said she is the Queen?"
Ma Yulin said blankly: "Yes, don't you know?"
Deng Yinglian shook her head vigorously and whispered: "She, she didn't tell me, she said she was your friend's wife, and she came to see me. Later, she often wrote to me to tell me about your situation..."
Ma Yulin said in shock: "The Queen has come to see you?"
Deng Yinglian nodded: "About this time last year, she suddenly came to Hailing County and said..."
"What did the empress say?" Ma Yulin asked urgently.
The little niece said crisply: "That aunt said that although my second uncle became a high official in Jiangdu Prefecture, you don't know how to take care of yourself. You work all night every day, and sooner or later you will die of exhaustion!"
The nephew followed and yelled: "My mother didn't believe it at first, but now I see that the queen aunt was absolutely right. Second uncle, your family is not as impressive as Mr. Li's family in Hailing County!"
Ma Yulin was stunned and speechless, and then he realized that the queen had worked so hard. Of course, there must be His Majesty's intention behind it.
Thinking of this, his eyes blurred slightly, he reached out to support his sister-in-law and said: "Sister-in-law, you won't dislike me anymore in the future!"
Deng Yinglian smiled bitterly and said: "I have never disliked you. You have been known as a child prodigy since you were a child. I know you will definitely have a future, so I did that... so as not to delay you..."
In fact, Deng Yinglian also noticed Ma Yulin's attachment to her.
At that time, Deng Yinglian urged him to get married, but he always said that he would take care of his sister-in-law and two children for the rest of his life.
Deng Yinglian then kept her distance from him, and eventually even moved out, finally forcing Ma Yulin to leave.
Later, Ma Yulin sent money back, and she was secretly grateful.
After entrusting inquiries, they learned that Ma Yulin had become a high official. They thought he was married and had children. Although he missed him very much, he did not dare to disturb his life anymore.
Until Qin Lingjun came to Hailing in person and told her that Ma Yulin only cared about work, had no care for her body, and had no intention of marrying a wife.
If this continues, Ma Yulin will definitely never marry and will probably die of overwork.
Deng Yinglian didn’t believe it at first.
Qin Lingjun also knew that no matter how hard he tried to persuade, it would be difficult to have any effect, so he left Hailing and often communicated with Deng Yinglian through letters, telling her about Ma Yulin's situation.
Deng Yinglian raised her children alone and went through many hardships. She never had a close friend. Seeing that Qin Lingjun often wrote to her, she cherished this friend very much in her heart.
So Deng Yinglian, who has always been thrifty, did not hesitate to spend money to hire a gentleman on the street to write letters for her, and she became a letter friend with Qin Lingjun.
Later, the two became more and more familiar with each other, and Qin Lingjun continued to tell her about Ma Yulin's situation.
Deng Yinglian finally believed her words at this time.
I was touched by Ma Yulin's feelings for me, but also worried that he couldn't take care of me, so I finally agreed to come to Ma Yulin.
Ma Yulin stared at his sister-in-law and said slowly: "Yulin made a vow since he was a child. He only hopes to take good care of his sister-in-law in this life and will never marry another woman!"
Deng Yinglian's face turned redder, lowered her head and said: "No, stop talking, let's go in first."
Ma Yulin smiled slightly and helped his sister-in-law back into the house.
The evening breeze in March is gentle and refreshing, like a lover's embrace.
Qin Lingjun galloped on the street, thinking of the marriage that had just been made, and felt quite happy in her heart.
After a while, she arrived outside Chaoyang Gate.
After riding her horse through Chaoyang Gate and arriving at Donghua Gate, she got off her horse and walked along the royal road to Qianqing Gate.
Pass through this palace gate, enter the harem, and quickly arrive at Qianyang Palace.
After entering the palace and about to turn into the inner hall, I suddenly heard voices coming from the room.
She stopped outside the door and glanced inside, only to see Zhang Yangquan sitting cross-legged on a couch, playing chess with a burly man.